March 7, 2017

What would a world powered by clean, low-water energy look
like? If you visit Israel’s southern region, you don’t have to imagine.

In 2011, Arava Power in the southern Israeli desert launched
a 4.9 MW solar field (enough to power more than 3,000 U.S. homes). Since then
nearly 200 times as much capacity — both fields and rooftops — has been
installed in the region. By 2025, it’s likely solar will provide 100 percent of
daytime electricity, plus excess, along the border with Jordan.

With solar technology more advanced and cheaper than ever,
solar power can take off quickly in Texas, as it has in Israel.

The Arava Desert, where many of Israel’s solar fields are
located, averages about 360 days of sunshine per year. Austin, where I live,
averages about 300 days per year, and it’s not even as sunny as West Texas. But
in January 2016, solar provided just
0.4 percent of power across the vast majority of the state. There is huge
opportunity for solar growth in Texas.

Rapid Solar Growth

A renewable energy testbed of sorts, researchers at the
Eilat Eilot Renewable Energy Initiative in the middle of the Arava are
developing roads that wirelessly charge electric city buses, drones to
clean the dust off desert solar panels, and electric scooters for commuting
that can be plugged into any outlet.

This hub of activity has grown around Israel’s burgeoning
solar industry, drawing innovators and building a community as a result. Just a
few years ago, solar energy was practically non-existent there. Now nearly
20,000 panels provide 70
percent of the daytime electricity from the Dead Sea to Eilat, a port and
resort city in southern Israel.

Further, the Ashalim project in the Negev Desert will next
year complete four fields using different solar technologies, including one
that will store solar power for nighttime use. The project aims to provide 1.6
percent of Israel’s power, more than half of the country’s current renewable
generation. This will help the country reach its 10 percent renewable energy by
2020 goal, a giant step up from its current 2.5 percent.

Texas, like Israel, is ripe with solar potential,
especially in the dry, hot west. Plus, we have no shortage of innovators, like
in tech-hub Austin and oil and gas-capital Houston. By embracing our sunny days
and prioritizing solar development, it’s easy to envision building innovative
communities around solar development, while creating jobs, boosting the
economy, and saving water.

Solar Economy and Jobs

Beyond requiring virtually no water to create energy (unlike
traditional fossil fuels), new solar jobs and income are a boon to the economy.

Typically reliant on dates, dairy farming, and tourism,
southern Israeli communities like the Eilat Eilot Institute support a range of
jobs, from solar development to implementation to maintenance. In fact,
according to the institute’s director, schools, cafes, and other amenities are
being built to serve the growing community.

It’s not hard to imagine that type of job hub here.
According to the Solar Foundation’s recently-released census, Texas is now home
to the third-highest number of solar jobs. The Lone Star State’s solar job
market also saw an impressive 34 percent growth in 2016.

Working With Natural Gas

In 2009, Israel discovered natural gas reserves, shifting
some of the earlier focus on solar development toward natural gas. Texas also
has vast natural gas resources, but it doesn’t have to be an either-or
situation. If we have both solar and gas potential, shouldn’t we maximize both?

The gas industry could be working hand in hand with the
solar industry — together, as the new energy industry — to increase energy
independence and security. For instance, in an ideal scenario, all of Israel
could be powered by homegrown resources — solar in the day and gas at night.
Texas can use a balance of solar, wind, and natural gas, rather than coal
imported from other states, to meet everyone’s power needs.

Barriers

To activate the solar revolution, the bureaucratic hoops to
jump through in Israel were immense. The Arava Power Company had to work
through 24 different government offices, win about 100 political, regulatory,
and statutory battles, and prove the concept with facts on the ground. Yet much
of the work has already been done to clear the way for solar in Texas. We
already have some proof of concept and fewer levels of bureaucracy, but there
is still resistance.

So, what is holding the Lone Star State back? It often boils
down to politics. The sun doesn’t care which party you belong to, and it’s
available across much of Texas, just waiting for us to tap its power. Plus, the
majority of Texas voters from both sides of the aisle support increasing the
use of clean energy. Solar also doesn’t need water to create electricity and,
with an ever-expanding population, saving water in Texas should be in the
interest of all policymakers.

The director of the Eilat Eilot center told me, “The sun is
not lazy here. She shows up to work every day.” Texas should put politics aside
and take advantage of this tireless worker, creating more jobs and growing the
economy.

The latest Texas solar job numbers cited above are a solid
start, but California’s solar industry has more than 10 times as many jobs,
even though Texas’ solar potential outshines
California’s by a margin of four to one. Texas has always been the U.S. leader
in energy production. Isn’t it past time that we get our heads in the new solar
market game?